True Love Always
Return
of the Wild Style Fashionists
(Teen-Beat)
With so
many artists from the past reuniting nowadays, I should not be surprised that True Love Always are back. However, they were such a well-kept secret
during the span of their original recording career (1997-2003), I wonder what
the impetus was to give it another go. Don’t
get me wrong, because this is a very welcome return. TLA somehow managed to combine the sounds of Postcard Records-era Orange Juice with the blue-eyed soul of
New Romantics Spandau Ballet, along
with Teen-Beat Records label-mates Unrest.
The sound throughout their four albums and many singles is wound-tight,
dry, and flawless and nothing has changed, except this new EP may be their best
work yet (I’d better go and listen to the old CDs as a refresher course).
Vocalist/guitarist
John Lindaman’s friendly voice reminds
me a lot of John Conley (Desario, Holiday Flyer, California
Oranges), which makes these five songs of love lamenting incredibly
accessible. The perfectly pitched chorus
of “Summer Trains and Tears” is a great example of their addictive sound
complete with perfect bouncing bass lines from Tony Zanella. The opening “In
the Dark” is the true highlight here though as Lindaman sings words of hope to
the hopeless (“Hopelessly drowning / Walk through the fountain / Your heart
beats faster / Filled with disaster / If you can get outside / Then it will be
alright”). “Concentric” is the closest
they get to straight forward rock here, with wonderfully dynamic drumming from Matt Datesman, while “5:32” displays
their ability to capture sing-along moments from out of the air with such ease –
though the song fades out too quickly. The
set closes with the oddly timed, but fun “Junkyard,” whose chorus call and
response vocals remind me of the theme from 70s sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter,” and I dare you to remove it from your head
after the first listen.
Maybe
this reunion will shine a light on this deserving band. Welcome back guys!
True Love Always "In the Dark"